Literary types and technical exposition in Virgil and Palladius

Abstract

This article discusses the fact that some Ancient texts focus on the explanatory rigor of the technical-scientific ideas they contain. Treatises, such as Palladius’ Opus Agriculturae, fall into the more rigorous category, while didactic poetry, such as Virgil’s Georgics, falls into the less rigorous one. Next, we discuss some of the fundamental features that distinguish these literary forms – for instance the structuring of material, levels of clarity in language, and so on – and show how the Virgilian agronomic writing differs from that of Opus Agriculturae. This is accomplished by comparing passages with the themes of agricultural tools and beehive placement from a lexical standpoint. As a result, the findings indicate a high prevalence of docere in Palladius’ work and the importance of delectare in Virgil’s Georgics.